Plato's dialogue Phaedo portrays Socrates in prison awaiting execution and discussing with his friends the fate of the soul after death. In this edition, consisting of introduction, text and commentary, Professor Rowe guides the reader through the difficulties--linguistic, literary and philosophical--of individual passages and of the dialogue as a whole. The comparative beginner is not neglected, but the commentary is intended for any student, classical scholar, or philosopher with an interest in the close reading of Plato.